Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster that
began transmission on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially
self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary
of the
Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA),[1] the station is now
owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation, a public
corporation of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport,[2] which
was established in 1990 and came into operation in 1993. With the
conversion of the Wenvoe transmitter group in
WalesWales to digital on 31
March 2010,
Channel 4Channel 4 became a UK-wide TV channel for the first time.
The channel was established to provide a fourth television service to
the
United KingdomUnited Kingdom in addition to the licence-funded
BBC OneBBC One and BBC
Two, and the single commercial broadcasting network ITV.

History[edit]
Conception[edit]
Main article: Fourth UK television service
Before
Channel 4Channel 4 and S4C, Britain had three terrestrial television
services: BBC1, BBC2, and ITV. The
Broadcasting Act 1980Broadcasting Act 1980 began the
process of adding a fourth, and Channel 4, along with its Welsh
counterpart, was formally created by an
Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament in 1982.
After some months of test broadcasts, it began scheduled transmissions
on 2 November 1982.
The notion of a second commercial broadcaster in the United Kingdom
had been around since the inception of ITV in 1954 and its subsequent
launch in 1955; the idea of an "ITV2" (which came in 1998) was long
expected and pushed for. Indeed, television sets sold throughout the
1970s and early 1980s had a spare tuning button labelled "ITV/IBA 2".
Throughout ITV's history and until
Channel 4Channel 4 finally became a reality,
a perennial dialogue existed between the GPO, the government, the ITV
companies and other interested parties, concerning the form such an
expansion of commercial broadcasting would take. It was most likely
politics which had the biggest impact in leading to a delay of almost
three decades before the second commercial channel became a
reality.[3]
One clear benefit of the "late arrival" of the channel was that its
frequency allocations at each transmitter had already been arranged in
the early 1960s, when the launch of an
ITV2ITV2 was highly anticipated.[3]
This led to very good coverage across most of the country and few
problems of interference with other UK-based transmissions; a stark
contrast to the problems associated with Channel 5's launch almost 15
years later.[citation needed]
Wales[edit]
Main article: S4C
At the time the fourth service was being considered, a movement in
WalesWales lobbied for the creation of dedicated service that would air
Welsh-language programmes, then only catered for at "off peak" times
on
BBC WalesBBC Wales and HTV. The campaign was taken so seriously by Gwynfor
Evans, former president of Plaid Cymru, that he threatened the
government with a hunger strike were it not to honour the plans.[4]
The result was that
Channel 4Channel 4 as seen by the rest of the United
Kingdom would be replaced in
WalesWales by Sianel Pedwar Cymru (S4C)
(Channel Four Wales). Operated by a specially created authority, S4C
would air programmes in Welsh made by HTV, the
BBCBBC and independent
companies. Initially limited frequency space meant that Channel 4
could not be broadcast alongside S4C, though some
Channel 4Channel 4 programmes
would be aired at less popular times on the Welsh variant, a practice
that carried on up until the closure of S4C's analogue transmissions
in 2010 when
S4CS4C became a fully Welsh channel.
Since then, carriage on digital cable, satellite and digital
terrestrial has introduced
Channel 4Channel 4 to Welsh homes where it is now
universally available.
Launch and IBA control[edit]
The first voice heard on Channel 4's opening day of Tuesday 2 November
1982 was that of continuity announcer
Paul Coia who said:

“
Good afternoon. It's a pleasure to be able to say to you, welcome to
Channel Four.
”

Following the announcement, the channel headed into a montage of clips
from its programmes set to the station's signature tune, "Fourscore",
written by David Dundas, which would form the basis of the station's
jingles for its first decade. The first programme to air on the
channel was the teatime game show Countdown, at 16:45 produced by
Yorkshire Television. The first person to be seen on
Channel 4Channel 4 was
Richard WhiteleyRichard Whiteley with
Ted MoultTed Moult being the second. The first woman on
the channel, contrary to popular belief, was not Whiteley's Countdown
co-host
Carol VordermanCarol Vorderman but a lexicographer only ever identified as
Mary. Whiteley opened the show with the words:

“
As the countdown to a brand new channel ends, a brand new countdown
begins.
”

On its first day,
Channel 4Channel 4 also broadcast controversial soap opera
Brookside, which ran until 2003.
On its launch,
Channel 4Channel 4 committed itself to providing an alternative
to the existing channels, an agenda in part set out by its remit which
required the provision of programming to minority groups.
In step with its remit, the channel became well received both by
minority groups and the arts and cultural worlds during this period,
especially under founding chief executive Jeremy Isaacs, where the
channel gained a reputation for programmes on the contemporary arts.
Channel 4Channel 4 co-commissioned Robert Ashley's ground-breaking television
opera Perfect Lives,[5] which it premiered over several episodes in
1984. The channel often did not receive mass audiences for much of
this period, however, as might be expected for a station focusing on
minority interest.
Channel 4Channel 4 also began the funding of independent films, such as the
Merchant-Ivory docudrama The Courtesans of Bombay, during this time.
In 1992,
Channel 4Channel 4 also faced its first libel case by Jani Allan, a
South African journalist, who objected to her representation in Nick
Broomfield's documentary The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's
Wife.[6]
In September 1993, the channel broadcast the direct-to-TV documentary
film Beyond Citizen Kane, in which it displayed the dominant position
of the
Rede GloboRede Globo television network, and discussed its influence,
power and political connections in Brazil.
Channel Four Television Corporation[edit]

Main article: Channel Four Television Corporation
After control of the station passed from the Channel Four Television
Company to the
Channel Four Television CorporationChannel Four Television Corporation in 1993, a shift in
broadcasting style took place. Instead of aiming for the fringes of
society, it began to focus on the edges of the mainstream, and the
centre of the mass market itself.[citation needed] It began to show
many US programmes in peak viewing time, far more than it had
previously done. It gave such shows as
FriendsFriends and ER their UK
premières.
In the early 2000s,
Channel 4Channel 4 began broadcasting reality formats such
as Big Brother and obtained the rights to broadcast mass appeal
sporting events like cricket and horse racing. This new direction
increased ratings and revenues.
In addition, the corporation launched a number of new television
channels through its new 4Ventures offshoot, including Film4, At the
Races, E4 and More4.
Partially in reaction to its new "populist" direction, the
Communications Act 2003Communications Act 2003 directed the channel to demonstrate
innovation, experimentation and creativity, appeal to the tastes and
interests of a culturally diverse society and to include programmes of
an educational nature which exhibit a distinctive character.[7]
On 31 December 2004,
Channel 4Channel 4 launched a new look and new idents in
which the logo is disguised as different objects and the 4 can be seen
in an angle.
Under the leadership of Freeview founder Andy Duncan, 2005 saw a
change of direction for Channel 4's digital channels.
Channel 4Channel 4 made
E4 free-to-air on digital terrestrial television, and launched a new
free-to-air digital channel called More4. By October,
Channel 4Channel 4 had
joined the Freeview consortium.[8] By July 2006,
Film4Film4 had also become
a free-to-air and restarted broadcasting on digital terrestrial.[9]
Venturing into radio broadcasting, 2005 saw
Channel 4Channel 4 purchase 51% of
shares in the now defunct
OnewordOneword radio station with UBC Media holding
on to the remaining shares. New programmes such as the weekly,
half-hour The Morning Report news programme were among some of the new
content
Channel 4Channel 4 provided for the station, with the name 4Radio being
used. As of early 2009, however, Channel 4's future involvement in
radio remained uncertain.
On 2 November 2007, the station celebrated its 25th birthday. It
showed the first episode of Countdown, an anniversary Countdown
special, as well as a special edition of The Big Fat Quiz and using
the original multicoloured 1982–1996 blocks logo on presentation and
idents using the Fourscore jingle throughout the day.
In November 2009,
Channel 4Channel 4 launched a week of 3D television,
broadcasting selected programmes each night using stereoscopic
ColorCode 3DColorCode 3D technology. The accompanying 3D glasses were distributed
through
Sainsbury'sSainsbury's supermarkets.[10]
On 29 September 2015,
Channel 4Channel 4 revamped its presentation for a fifth
time; the new branding downplayed the "4" logo from most on-air usage,
in favour of using the shapes from the logo in various forms. Four new
idents were filmed by Jonathan Glazer, which featured the shapes in
various real-world scenes depicting the "discovery" and "origins" of
the shapes. The full logo was still occasionally used, but primarily
for off-air marketing.
Channel 4Channel 4 also commissioned two new corporate
typefaces, "Chadwick", and "Horseferry" (a variation of Chadwick with
the aforementioned shapes incorporated into its letter forms), for use
across promotional material and on-air.[11][12] In October 2017,
Channel 4Channel 4 introduced a new series of idents continuing the theme, this
time depicting the logo shapes as having formed an anthropomorphic
"giant" character.[13]
Recent history[edit]
Channel 4Channel 4 has raised concerns over how it might finance its public
service obligations after digital switch-over. However, some certainty
came with the announcement in April 2006 that Channel 4's digital
switch-over costs would be paid for by licence fee revenues.[14]
On 28 March 2007,
Channel 4Channel 4 announced plans to launch a music channel
"4Music" as a joint venture with British media company
EMAPEMAP which
would include carriage on the Freeview platform. On 15 August 2008,
4Music4Music was launched across the UK.[15]
Channel 4Channel 4 has announced
interest in launching a high-definition version of
Film4Film4 on Freeview,
to coincide with the launch of
Channel 4Channel 4 HD,[16][17] however the
fourth HD slot was given to Channel 5 instead.[18]
Channel 4Channel 4 has since
acquired a 50% stake in EMAP's TV business for a reported £28
million.[19]
Channel 4Channel 4 was considered for privatisation by the governments of
Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair.[20] As of 2016 the
future of the channel was again being looked into by the government,
with analysts suggesting several options for the channel's future.[20]
In June 2017, it was announced that
Alex Mahon would be the next chief
executive, and would take over from David Abraham, who left in
November 2017.[21][22]
Public service remit[edit]
Channel 4Channel 4 was established with, and continues to hold, a remit of
public service obligations which it must fulfil. The remit changes
periodically, as dictated by various broadcasting and communications
acts, and is regulated by the various authorities
Channel 4Channel 4 has been
answerable to; originally the IBA, then the ITC and now Ofcom.
The preamble of the remit as per the
Communications Act 2003Communications Act 2003 states
that:

"The public service remit for
Channel 4Channel 4 is the provision of a broad
range of high quality and diverse programming which, in particular:

demonstrates innovation, experiment and creativity in the form and
content of programmes;
appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society;
makes a significant contribution to meeting the need for the licensed
public service channels to include programmes of an educational nature
and other programmes of educative value; and
exhibits a distinctive character."[7][23]

The remit also involves an obligation to provide programming for
schools,[24] and a substantial amount of programming produced outside
of Greater London.[25]
Carriage[edit]
Channel 4Channel 4 was carried from its beginning on analogue terrestrial,
which was practically the only means of television broadcast in the
United KingdomUnited Kingdom at the time. It continued to be broadcast through these
means until the changeover to digital terrestrial television in the
United KingdomUnited Kingdom was complete. Since 1998, it has been universally
available on digital terrestrial, and the Sky platform (initially
encrypted, though encryption was dropped on 14 April 2008 and is now
free of charge and available on the
FreesatFreesat platform) as well as
having been available from various times in various areas, on analogue
and digital cable networks.
Due to its special status as a public service broadcaster with a
specific remit, it is afforded free carriage on the terrestrial
platforms,[26] in contrast with other broadcasters such as ITV.[27]
Channel 4Channel 4 is also seen outside the
United KingdomUnited Kingdom where it is widely
available in Ireland, Switzerland[28] and Belgium. Here viewers
receive the channel either on basic cable subscription services or
premium services.
Channel 4Channel 4 has been available in large parts of Ireland, especially
border counties which have been able to receive terrestrial
transmissions from Northern Ireland.
Channel 4Channel 4 has been carried on
Irish cable networks since the station went on the air in 1982. From 4
December 2006
Channel 4Channel 4 was officially available to Sky viewers in
Ireland; some programmes, mainly imports, are not aired on this
channel variant, due to
Channel 4Channel 4 not owning the relevant broadcast
rights within the country. As of 2015,
Channel 4Channel 4 has an opt-out for
the Republic of
IrelandIreland featuring Irish advertising, the schedule is
the same as the UK channel.
The
Channel 4Channel 4 website allows Internet users in the
United KingdomUnited Kingdom to
watch
Channel 4Channel 4 live on the Internet. In the past some programmes
(mostly international imports) were not shown.
Channel 4Channel 4 is also
provided by Virgin Mobile's DAB mobile TV service which has the same
restrictions as the Internet live stream had.
Channel 4Channel 4 is also
carried by the Internet TV service TVCatchup[29] and was previously
carried by
Zattoo until the operator removed the channel from its
platform.[30]
Channel 4Channel 4 also makes some of its programming available "on demand" via
cable and the Internet through All 4.
Funding[edit]
During the station's formative years, funding came from the ITV
companies in return for their right to sell advertisements in their
region on the fourth channel.
Nowadays it pays for itself in much the same way as most privately run
commercial stations, i.e. through the sale of on-air advertising,
programme sponsorship, and the sale of any programme content and
merchandising rights it owns, such as overseas sales and video sales.
For example, as of 2012 its total revenues were £925 million with 91%
derived from sale of advertising.[31] It also has the ability to
subsidise the main network through any profits made on the
corporation's other endeavours, which have in the past included
subscription fees from stations such as E4 and
Film4Film4 (now no longer
subscription services) and its "video-on-demand" sales. In practice,
however, these other activities are loss-making, and are subsidised by
the main network. According to Channel 4's last published accounts,
for 2005, the extent of this cross-subsidy was some £30 million.[32]
The change in funding came about under the
Broadcasting Act 1990 when
the new corporation was afforded the ability to fund itself.
Originally this arrangement left a "safety net" guaranteed minimum
income should the revenue fall too low, funded by large insurance
payments made to the ITV companies. Such a subsidy was never required,
however, and these premiums were phased out by the government in 1998.
After the link with ITV was cut, the cross-promotion which had existed
between ITV and
Channel 4Channel 4 also ended.
In 2007 due to severe funding difficulties, the channel sought
government help and was granted a payment of £14 million over a
six-year period. The money would have come from the television licence
fee and would have been the first time that money from the licence fee
had been given to any broadcaster other than the BBC.[33] The plan was
scrapped by The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Andy
Burnham, ahead of "broader decisions about the future framework of
public service broadcasting".[34] The broadcasting regulator Ofcom
released its review in January 2009 in which it suggested that Channel
4 would preferably be funded by "partnerships, joint ventures or
mergers".[35]
Programming[edit]
Channel 4Channel 4 is a "publisher-broadcaster", meaning that it commissions or
"buys" all of its programming from companies independent of itself,
and was the first broadcaster in the
United KingdomUnited Kingdom to do so on any
significant scale; such commissioning is a stipulation which is
included in its licence to broadcast.[24] This had the consequence of
starting an industry of production companies that did not have to rely
on owning an ITV licence to see their programmes air, though since
Channel 4, external commissioning has become regular practice on the
numerous stations that have launched since, as well as on the
BBCBBC and
in ITV (where a quota of 25% minimum of total output has been imposed
since the 1990 Broadcasting Act came into force). Although it was the
first British broadcaster to commission all of its programmes from
third parties,
Channel 4Channel 4 was the last terrestrial broadcaster to
outsource its transmission and playout operations (to Red Bee Media),
after 25 years in-house.[36]
The requirement to obtain all content externally is stipulated in its
licence.[23] Additionally,
Channel 4Channel 4 also began a trend of owning the
copyright and distribution rights of the programmes it aired, in a
manner that is similar to the major Hollywood studios' ownership of
television programmes that they did not directly produce.[citation
needed] Thus, although
Channel 4Channel 4 does not produce programmes, many are
seen as belonging to it.
It was established with a specific intention of providing programming
to groups of minority interests, not catered for by its competitors,
which at the time were only the
BBCBBC and ITV.[3]
Channel 4Channel 4 also pioneered the concept of stranded programming, where
seasons of programmes following a common theme would be aired and
promoted together. Some would be very specific, and run for a fixed
period of time; the
4 Mation season, for example, showed innovative
animation. Other, less specific strands, were (and still are) run
regularly, such as T4, a strand of programming aimed at teenagers, on
weekend mornings (and weekdays during school/college holidays); Friday
Night Comedy, a slot where the channel would pioneer its style of
comedy commissions,
4Music4Music (now a separate channel) and 4Later, an
eclectic collection of offbeat programmes transmitted in the early
hours of the morning.
In its earlier years, Red Triangle was the name given to the airing of
certain risqué art-house films due to the use of a red triangle DOG
in the upper right of the screen, dubbed as being pornographic by many
of Channel 4's critics, while general broadcasting of films on the
station for many years came under the banner of Film on Four prior to
the launch of the FilmFour brand and station in the late 1990s.
Most watched programmes[edit]
The following is a list of the 10 most watched shows on Channel 4
since launch, based on Live +7 data supplied by BARB,[37] and archival
data published by Channel 4.[38]

Rank
Programme/Film
Viewers (millions)
Date

1
A Woman of Substance
13.85
4 January 1985

2
A Woman of Substance
13.20
3 January 1985

3
Four Weddings and a Funeral
12.40
15 November 1995

4
A Woman of Substance
11.55
2 January 1985

5
Gregory's Girl
10.75
8 January 1985

6
The Great British Bake Off
10.04
31 October 2017

7
Big Brother
10.01
26 July 2002

8
Big Fat Gypsy Weddings
9.71
8 February 2011

9
Friends
9.64
28 May 2004

10
The Great British Bake Off
9.46
29 August 2017

Comedy[edit]
During the station's early days, the screenings of innovative short
one-off comedy films produced by a rotating line-up of alternative
comedians went under the title of The Comic Strip Presents. The Tube
and Saturday Live/Friday Night Live also launched the careers of a
number of comedians and writers.
Channel 4Channel 4 broadcast a number of
popular American imports including Roseanne, Friends, Sex and the
City,
South ParkSouth Park and Will & Grace. Other significant US
acquisitions include The Simpsons, for which the station was reported
to have paid £700,000 per episode for the terrestrial television
rights.
In April 2010,
Channel 4Channel 4 became the first UK broadcaster to adapt the
American comedy institution of roasting to British television, with A
Comedy Roast.[39][40]
In 2010,
Channel 4Channel 4 organised Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a comedy benefit
show in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. With over 25
comedians appearing, it billed it as "the biggest live stand up show
in
United KingdomUnited Kingdom history". Filmed live on 30 March in front of 14,000
at
The O2 ArenaThe O2 Arena in London, it was broadcast on 5 April.[41] This has
continued to 2016.
Factual and current affairs[edit]
Channel 4Channel 4 has a strong reputation for history programmes and real-life
documentaries. It has also courted controversy, for example by
broadcasting live the first public autopsy in the UK for 170 years,
carried out by
Gunther von HagensGunther von Hagens in 2002, or the 2003 one-off stunt
Derren BrownDerren Brown Plays Russian Roulette Live.
Its news service,
Channel 4Channel 4 News, is supplied by
ITNITN whilst its
long-standing investigative documentary series, Dispatches, attracts
perennial media attention.
FourDocs[edit]
FourDocs is an online documentary site provided by Channel 4. It
allows viewers to upload their own documentaries to the site for
others to view. It focuses on documentaries of between 3 and
5 minutes. The website also includes an archive of classic
documentaries, interviews with documentary filmmakers and short
educational guides to documentary-making. It won a
Peabody AwardPeabody Award in
2006.[42] The site also includes a strand for documentaries of under
59 seconds, called "Microdocs".
Schools programming[edit]
Channel 4Channel 4 is obliged to carry schools programming as part of its remit
and licence.[24]
ITV Schools on Channel 4[edit]
Main article:
ITV Schools On Channel 4
Since 1957 ITV had produced schools programming, which became an
obligation.[43] In 1987, five years after the station was launched,
the IBA afforded ITV free carriage of these programmes during Channel
4's then-unused weekday morning hours. This arrangement allowed the
ITV companies to fulfil their obligation to provide schools
programming, whilst allowing ITV itself to broadcast regular
programmes complete with advertisements. During the times in which
schools programmes were aired Central Television provided most of the
continuity with play-out originating from Birmingham.[44]
Channel 4Channel 4 Schools/4Learning[edit]
After the restructuring of the station in 1993, ITV's obligations to
provide such programming on Channel 4's airtime passed to Channel 4
itself, and the new service became
Channel 4Channel 4 Schools, with the new
corporation administering the service and commissioning its
programmes, some still from ITV, others from independent
producers.[45]
In March 2008, the 4Leaning interactive new media commission
slabovia.tv was launched. The Slabplayer online media player showing
TV shows for teenagers was launched on 26 May 2008.
The schools programming has always had elements different to its
normal presentational package. In 1993, the
Channel 4Channel 4 Schools idents
featured famous people in one category, with light shining on them in
front of an industrial looking setting supplemented by instrumental
calming music. This changed in 1996 with the circles look to numerous
children touching the screen, forming circles of information then
picked up by other children. The last child would produce the channel
4 logo in the form of three vertical circles, with another in the
middle and to the left containing the
Channel 4Channel 4 logo.
A present feature of presentation was a countdown sequence featuring,
in 1993 a slide with the programme name, and afterwards an extended
sequence matching the channel branding. In 1996, this was an extended
ident with timer in top left corner, and in 1999 following the
adoption of the squares look, featured a square with timer slowly make
its way across the right of the screen with people learning and having
fun while doing so passing across the screen. It finished with the
Channel 4Channel 4 logo box on the right of the screen and the name 'Channel 4
Schools' being shown. This was adapted in 2000 when the services name
was changed to '4Learning'. In 2001, this was altered to various
scenes from classrooms around the world and different parts of school
life. The countdown now flips over from the top, right, bottom and
left with each second, and ends with four coloured squares, three of
which are aligned vertically to the left of the
Channel 4Channel 4 logo, with
is contained inside the fourth box. The tag 'Learning' is located
directly beneath the logo. The final countdown sequence lasted between
2004 and 2005 and featured a background video of current controversial
issues, overlaid with upcoming programming information. the video
features people in the style of graffiti enacting the overuse of CCTV
cameras, fox hunting, computer viruses and pirate videos,
relationships, pollution of the seas and violent lifestyles. Following
2005, no branded section has been used for Schools programmes.
Film[edit]

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Numerous genres of film-making – such as comedy, drama, documentary,
adventure/action, romance and horror/thriller – are represented in
the channel's schedule. From the launch of
Channel 4Channel 4 until 1998, film
presentations on C4 would often be broadcast under the "Film on Four"
banner.[citation needed]
In March 2005,
Channel 4Channel 4 screened the uncut
Lars von TrierLars von Trier film The
Idiots, which includes unsimulated sexual intercourse, making it the
first UK terrestrial channel to do so. The channel had previously
screened other films with similar material but censored and with
warnings.[citation needed]
Since 1 November 1998,
Channel 4Channel 4 has had a digital subsidiary channel
dedicated to the screening of films. This channel launched as a paid
subscription channel under the name "FilmFour", and was relaunched in
July 2006 as a free-to-air channel under the current name of "Film4".
The
Film4Film4 channel carries a wide range of film productions, including
acquired and Film4-produced projects. Channel 4's general
entertainment channels E4 and
More4More4 also screen feature films at
certain points in the schedule as part of their content mix.
Wank Week[edit]
Main article: Wank Week
A season of television programmes about masturbation, called Wank
Week, was to be broadcast in the
United KingdomUnited Kingdom by
Channel 4Channel 4 in March
2007. The first show was about a Masturbate-a-thon, a public mass
masturbation event, organised to raise money for the sexual health
charity Marie Stopes International. Another film would have focused on
compulsive male masturbators and a third was to feature the sex
educator Dr Betty Dodson.
The series came under public attack from senior television figures,
and was pulled amid claims of declining editorial standards and
controversy over the channel's public service broadcasting
credentials.[46]
Global warming[edit]
On 8 March 2007
Channel 4Channel 4 screened the highly controversial
documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle. The programme states
that global warming is "a lie" and "the biggest scam of modern
times".[47] The programme's accuracy has been disputed on multiple
points and several commentators have criticised it for being
one-sided, noting that the mainstream position on global warming is
supported by the scientific academies of the major industrialised
nations[48] There were 246 complaints to
OfcomOfcom as of 25 April
2007,[49] including the complaints that the programme falsified
data.[50] The programme has been criticised by scientists and
scientific organisations and various scientists which participated in
the documentary claimed their views had been distorted.
Against Nature: An earlier controversial
Channel 4Channel 4 programme made by
Martin Durkin which was also critical of the environmental movement
and was charged by the
Independent Television Commission of the UK for
misrepresenting and distorting the views of interviewees by selective
editing.[citation needed]
The Greenhouse Conspiracy: An earlier
Channel 4Channel 4 documentary broadcast
on 12 August 1990, as part of the Equinox series, in which similar
claims were made. Three of the people interviewed (Lindzen, Michaels
and Spencer) were also interviewed in The Great Global Warming
Swindle.
Ahmadinejad's Christmas speech[edit]
In the Christmas address of 2008, a
Channel 4Channel 4 tradition since 1993,
Iranian President
Mahmoud AhmadinejadMahmoud Ahmadinejad made a thinly veiled attack on
the United States by claiming that Christ would have been against
"bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers".
A spokeswoman for the FCO said: “President Ahmadinejad has, during
his time in office, made a series of appalling anti-Semitic
statements. The British media are rightly free to make their own
editorial choices, but this invitation will cause offence and
bemusement not just at home but among friendly countries
abroad.”[51]
Crazy About One Direction[edit]
On 15 August 2013,
Channel 4Channel 4 aired a 45-minute documentary on One
Direction and their fans dubbed as "Directioners".[52] Following the
airing, fans across the world complained on social media about the
documentary, arguing that this was not a reflection of them.[53]
4Talent[edit]
4Talent is an editorial branch of Channel 4's commissioning wing,
which co-ordinates Channel 4's various talent development schemes for
film, television, radio, new media and other platforms and provides a
showcasing platform for new talent.
There are bases in London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Belfast, serving
editorial hubs known respectively as 4Talent National, 4Talent Central
England, 4Talent
ScotlandScotland and 4Talent Northern Ireland. These four
sites include features, profiles and interviews in text, audio and
video formats, divided into five zones: TV, Film, Radio, New Media and
Extras, which covers other arts such as theatre, music and design.
4Talent also collates networking, showcasing and professional
development opportunities, and runs workshops, masterclasses, seminars
and showcasing events across the UK.
4Talent Magazine[edit]
4Talent magazine is the creative industries magazine from 4Talent,
which launched in 2005 as TEN4 magazine under the editorship of Dan
Jones. 4Talent Magazine is currently edited by Nick Carson. Other
staff include deputy editor Catherine Bray and production editor Helen
Byrne. The magazine covers rising and established figures of interest
in the creative industries, a remit including film, radio, TV, comedy,
music, new media and design.
Subjects are usually UK-based, with contributing editors based in
Northern Ireland, Scotland, London and Birmingham, but the publication
has been known to source international content from Australia,
America, continental Europe and the Middle East. The magazine is
frequently organised around a theme for the issue, for instance giving
half of November 2007's pages over to profiling winners of the annual
4Talent Awards.
An unusual feature of the magazine's credits is the equal prominence
given to the names of writers, photographers, designers and
illustrators, contradicting standard industry practice of more
prominent writer bylines. It is also recognisable for its 'wraparound'
covers, which use the front and back as a continuous canvas – often
produced by guest artists.
Although 4Talent Magazine is technically a newsstand title, a
significant proportion of its readers are subscribers. It started life
as a quarterly 100-page title, but has since doubled in size and is
now published bi-annually.
Presentation[edit]

The original launch ident from 1982 which formed up in several
variations until 1996.

Since its launch in 1982,
Channel 4Channel 4 has used the same logo which
consists of a stylised numeral "4" made up of nine differently-shaped
blocks. The logo was designed by
Martin Lambie-NairnMartin Lambie-Nairn and his brother
Robinson and was the first channel in the UK to depict an ident made
using advanced computer generation (the first electronically-generated
ident was on
BBC TwoBBC Two in 1979, but this was two-dimensional). It was
designed in conjunction with Bo Gehring Aviation of Los Angeles and
originally depicted the "4" in red, yellow, green, blue and purple.
The music accompanying the ident was called "Fourscore" and was
composed by Lord David Dundas, later released as a single alongside
with a B-side, "Fourscore Two", although neither appeared in the UK
charts. In 1992, "Fourscore" was replaced by new music.
In 1996,
Channel 4Channel 4 commissioned Tomato Films to revamp the "4", which
resulted in the "Circles" idents showing four white circles forming up
transparently over various scenes, with the "4" logo depicted in white
in one of the circles.
In 1999, Spin redesigned the logo to feature in a single square which
sat on the right-hand side of the screen, whilst various stripes would
move along from left to right, often lighting the squared "4" up. Like
the "Circles" idents, the stripes would be interspersed with various
scenes potentially related to the upcoming programme.
The logo was made three-dimensional again in 2004 when it was depicted
in filmed scenes that show the blocks forming the "4" logo for less
than a second before the action moves away again.
In 2015, the logo was disassembled completely to allow the blocks to
appear as parts of a nature scene, sometimes featuring a strange
dancing creature and sometimes being excavated for scientific study,
one being studied under a microscope and showing a tardigrade. The
second wave of these idents, launched in 2017, depict a giant creature
made of the "4" blocks (made to look almost like a person) interacting
with everyday life, sometimes shouting the "Fourscore" theme as a
foghorn.
Regions/International[edit]
Channel 4Channel 4 has, since its inception, broadcast identical programmes and
continuity throughout the
United KingdomUnited Kingdom (excluding
WalesWales where it did
not operate on analogue transmitters). At launch this made it unique,
as both the
BBCBBC and ITV had long established traditions of providing
regional variations in their programming in different areas of the
country. Since the launch of subsequent British television channels,
Channel 4Channel 4 has become typical in its lack of regional programming
variations.
A few exceptions exist to this rule for programming and continuity:
Some of Channel 4's schools' programming (1980s/early '90s) were
regionalised due to differences in curricula between different
regions.[44]
Part of Channel 4's remit covers the commissioning of programmes from
outside London.
Channel 4Channel 4 has a dedicated director of nations and
regions, Stuart Cosgrove, who is based in a regional office in
Glasgow. As his job title suggests, it is his responsibility to foster
relations with independent producers based in areas of the United
Kingdom (including Wales) outside London.
Advertising on
Channel 4Channel 4 does contain regular variation: prior to
1993, when ITV was responsible for selling Channel 4's advertising,
each regional ITV company would provide the content of advertising
breaks, covering the same transmitter area as themselves, and these
breaks were often unique to that area. After
Channel 4Channel 4 became
responsible for its own advertising, it continued to offer advertisers
the ability to target particular audiences and divided its coverage
area into six regions: London, South, Midlands, North, Northern
IrelandIreland and Scotland.[54]
At present,
WalesWales does not have its own advertising region, instead
its viewers receive the southern region on digital platforms
intentionally broadcast to the area, or the neighbouring region where
terrestrial transmissions spill over into Wales. The Republic of
IrelandIreland shares its advertising region with Northern
IrelandIreland (referred
to by
Channel 4Channel 4 as the 'Ulster Macro') with many advertisers selling
products for
IrelandIreland here.[55] E4 has an advertising variant for
Ireland, although Northern
IrelandIreland receives the UK version of E4.[55]
The six regions are also carried on satellite, cable and Digital
Terrestrial.
Channel 5 and
ITV Breakfast use a similar model to
Channel 4Channel 4 for
providing their own advertising regions, despite also having a single
national output of programming.
Despite the Republic of
IrelandIreland not being in the UK,
Channel 4Channel 4 has a
dedicated variant broadcast on Sky
IrelandIreland which omits programmes for
which broadcast rights are not held in Ireland. For example, the
series Glee is not available on
Channel 4Channel 4 on Sky in Ireland. In recent
years a Republic of
IrelandIreland advertising opt-out has been added to this
version.
Future possibility of regional news[edit]
With
ITV plcITV plc pushing for much looser requirements on the amount of
regional news and other programming it is obliged to broadcast in its
ITV regions, the idea of
Channel 4Channel 4 taking on a regional news
commitment has been considered, with the corporation in talks with
OfcomOfcom and ITV over the matter.[56]
Channel 4Channel 4 believe that a
scaling-back of such operations on ITV's part would be detrimental to
Channel 4's national news operation, which shares much of its
resources with ITV through their shared news contractor ITN. At the
same time,
Channel 4Channel 4 also believe that such an additional public
service commitment would bode well in on-going negotiations with Ofcom
in securing additional funding for its other public service
commitments.[56]
Channel 4Channel 4 HD[edit]

In mid-2006
Channel 4Channel 4 ran a six-month closed trial of HDTV, as part of
the wider Freeview HD experiment via the Crystal Palace transmitter to
London and parts of the home counties,[57] including the use of Lost
and
Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives as part of the experiment, as US broadcasters
such as ABC already have an HDTV back catalogue.
On 10 December 2007,
Channel 4Channel 4 launched a high definition television
simulcast of
Channel 4Channel 4 on Sky's digital satellite platform, after Sky
agreed to contribute toward the channel's satellite distribution
costs. It was the first full-time high definition channel from a
terrestrial UK broadcaster.[58]
On 31 July 2009,
Virgin MediaVirgin Media added
Channel 4 HDChannel 4 HD on channel 146 (later
on channel 142, now on channel 141) as a part of the M pack.[59] On 25
March 2010
Channel 4 HDChannel 4 HD appeared on Freeview channel 52 with a
placeholding caption, ahead of a commercial launch on 30 March 2010,
coinciding with the commercial launch of Freeview HD.[60][61] On 19
April 2011,
Channel 4 HDChannel 4 HD was added to
FreesatFreesat on channel 126.[62] As a
consequence, the channel moved from being free-to-view to free-to-air
on satellite during March 2011. With the closure of
S4CS4C Clirlun in
WalesWales on 1 December 2012, on Freeview,
Channel 4 HDChannel 4 HD launched in Wales
on 2 December 2012.[63]
The channel carries the same schedule as Channel 4, broadcasting
programmes in HD when available, acting as a simulcast. Therefore, SD
programming is broadcast upscaled to HD. The first true HD programme
to be shown was the 1996 Adam Sandler film Happy Gilmore. From launch
until 2016 the presence of the 4HD logo on screen denoted true HD
content.
On 1 July 2014,
Channel 4Channel 4 +1 HD, a timeshift of
Channel 4Channel 4 HD, launched
on Freeview channel 110.
On Tuesday 20 February 2018
Channel 4Channel 4 announced that
Channel 4 HDChannel 4 HD and
All 4All 4 will no longer be supplied on
FreesatFreesat from Thursday 22 February
2018. [64]
All 4[edit]
Main article: All 4
All 4All 4 is a video on demand service from Channel 4, launched in
November 2006 as 4oD. The service offers a variety of programmes
recently shown on Channel 4, E4,
More4More4 or from their archives, though
some programmes and movies are not available due to rights issues.
Teletext services[edit]
4-Tel/FourText[edit]
Channel 4Channel 4 originally licensed an ancillary teletext service to provide
schedules, programme information and features. The original service
was called 4-Tel, and was produced by Intelfax, a company set up
especially for the purpose. It was carried in the 400s on Oracle.[65]
In 1993, with Oracle losing its franchise to Teletext Ltd, 4-Tel found
a new home in the 300s, and had its name shown in the header row.
Intelfax continued to produce the service [65] and in 2002 it was
renamed FourText.
Teletext on 4[edit]
In 2003,
Channel 4Channel 4 awarded
Teletext LtdTeletext Ltd a ten-year contract to run the
channel's ancillary teletext service, named Teletext on 4.[66] This
has now ceased and Teletext is no longer available on Channel 4, ITV
and Channel 5.
Awards and nominations[edit]

Year
Association
Category
Nominee(s)
Result

2017
Diversity in Media Awards
Broadcaster of the Year
Channel 4
Nominated

British Academy of Film and Television Arts
British Phonographic Industry
Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union
Clearcast
Digital TV Group
Digital UK
Equity
Federation Against Copyright Theft
National Union of Journalists
The Publishers Association
Royal Television Society
United KingdomUnited Kingdom Independent Broadcasting

Other

BBCBBC Academy
National Film and Television School
National Science and Media Museum

Absolute Radio
BBCBBC Asian Network
BBCBBC Radio 1
BBCBBC Radio 1Xtra
BBCBBC Radio 2
BBCBBC Radio 3
BBCBBC Radio 4
BBCBBC Radio 4 Extra
BBCBBC Radio 5 Live
BBCBBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
BBCBBC Radio 6 Music
BBCBBC Radio Cymru
BBCBBC Radio Foyle
BBCBBC Radio nan Gàidheal
BBCBBC Radio Scotland
BBCBBC Radio Ulster
BBCBBC Radio Wales
BBCBBC World Service
Capital London
Classic FM
Heart London
Heat Radio
The Hits Radio
Insight Radio
Kerrang Radio
Kiss
KissFresh
Kisstory
LBC
Magic 105.4 FM
Premier Christian Radio
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
Smooth Radio
Talksport
U105